Merlin to End After Season 5, Spin-Offs Possible

Merlin‘s fifth season will be its last — though its mythical world could live on in other forms.

Per our sister site Deadline, series cocreators Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy say the series will reach a natural climax at the close of Season 5, which is currently airing across the pond on BBC One/will finale at Christmastime and debuts Stateside on Syfy this Jan. 4.

Agree with this! I love their “banter” (or perhaps teasing is a better word!) and would love for Arthur to find out about Merlin before the end. I’m in Australia and we’re currently almost halfway through, and I wasn’t aware that this would be the last season. My family are going to be devastated!

OMG I know. My mom just told me this morning about that. We live in the US and we won’t get to see it until January. That is NO fair. The best series ever! I love Merlin. Also I agree, Arthur needs to know about Merlin’s magic at the end or at least give us a movie to wrap it up properly!

They need to make arthur find out or else there’ll be some angry fans. But i sincerely hope they don’t rush the ending. Finding out a trusted friend had the one thing your kingdom opposes is earth shattering and shouldn’t be so easy to accept. I cant wait to find out how arthur finds out!?

I have just finished watching the last episode of Merlin……OHhhhh I am so devastated knowing that I’ll never be able to see this amazing tv series again. I’ve been watching it for years and always looking forward to see it everytime. I can’t believe its end. I am so sad….I hope they will bring the Merlin back someday somehow…..

I’m from Nigeria and i really thing that Merlin ending in season 5 is not all that good to me cos my whole family have been watching it since from its inception so why can’t you create something out of nothing?

I just love Merlin. I do not see why it has to be cancelled. Everyone was progressing so well. the story line was gpbetter and better each season. I get tired of watching a show and it gets cancelled the first year. But it is worse when you have been watching it for five years. I just hope the spinoff will have Merlin, Arther and the other characters in it.

I always thought the show would end with Arthur dying….and Returned in either a modern day or future day setting by Merlin…in the sense of The Once and Future King. Every iteration of The Arthurian legend is always the past…I kind thought it would be cool to bring them both in to the future so you get a fun fish out of water story for at least Arthur learning about everything that was written about him akin to how Once upon a Time allows their characters to know about their fairytale selves… If they do a spin off I think that would be interesting and compelling…

They did talk about doing a sixth series and a trilogy of films. It was also said that it was just a plan and wouldn’t necessarily stick to it. Look at Supernatural – that was only meant to be five seasons and now it’s on its eighth and still going. I also have no idea how they could possible end this series in a satisfying way at this point, all seems like bad planning and writing to me.

I am so sad about this. I just discovered this show this year and love it dearly. I guess the silver lining is that the incredibly talented and beautiful Colin Morgan can move on and become the huge movie star he should be. Even with the somewhat hokey writing on Merlin, he sells every line, every time.

I feel so sad about the show leaving. One of my favorite shows. Haven’t been able of seeing for a couple of weeks. Watched it on syfy and BBCA. Ladt watced it on BBCA just not on anymore. Very disapointed.

No. This is a bad idea. Gwaine cannot be a central character. He is a great character but He would not fit as a main. Lancelot sure. I just dont think a spinoff would do that well without merlin and Arthur.

Such sad news. I’m really worried that they had already wrapped filming for the season. Hopefully we get to see Arthur learn about Merlin’s magic, else this is going to be very (even more so) depressing.

Wasn’t it supposed to be ending with season 5 anyway? I thought I read somewhere after season 1 that they had a 5 year plan for the show, so this is no shock for me. So far, I’m enjoying it and can’t imagine how Arthur will find out about Merlin’s magic, nor what his reaction will be.

So sad. They waiting to long to let Arthur knows that Merlin got magic. In some way is like everyone had evolve but Merlin. At this point I was waiting for Arthur to shows more respect for Merlin, and someway acknowledge how important Merlin had been for the realm.

As long as Arthur finds out abut Merlin’s secret BEFORE the final episode, I might be okay with this. But really not. Why do all my favorite series leave me…?

But I would love a spin off where you get to explore the relationsship betwen Merlin and Arthur where Arthur is completely aware of Merlin’s powers and knows how to peoperly make use of them. I want to see Merlin kick som ass with his magic side by side with Arthur, without having to think about restraining himself or keep it a secret…!

I will miss all my hopes for a season where Merlin is Arthurs respected wizard advisor, Morgana has identified Merlin as her greatest foe, Morgana tries for redemption, and Percival finally gets a personality. If this doesnt end with a massive magic battle between merlin and morgana, so help me I will hurt my tv. :P Also, make not so much a spinoff but a new series that crosses over, with knights like Bors or Kay.

Merlin is the best program ever
why would you cancel merlin
please ask them to come back
then everyone will be happy
everyone is sad
MERLIN IS THE BEST PROGRAM IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD IF IT ENDS
EVERYTHING ENDS
wawawa! :(

Great show just takes you for a thrilling hour, sow after show. I hate reality TV but, I’m finding harder and harder to get attached to great series because the networks are to quick with their knives.

i think they should make a season six only for the reason that now, after i’ve seen episode 9 there is no sign of, that arthur knows about merlin, so there’re four episodes to find out and in my opinion, the time is to short. My guess is that in the end merlin will save athur with magic and this will be the last scene and i know i will hate such an end, even if it is a completition or not!

I think Merlin really needs to have a proper fight before the end – he always uses his magic to distract someone, or knock them out. I want a proper massive p***ed off Merlin going badass to save Arthur.

And then I want the producers to read Loaded March (GOOGLE IT NOW) by Footloose, and realise that that is the best spin off idea EVER…or the Student Prince. Also amazing!

As far as spinoffs, i think a reboot would be best. Have merlin growing up in the walls with a kind of origin story. Have him discover his powers and learn new ones throughout the show. Would be a plus to give the show a more adult realistic tone. Not that i dont enjoy this version but having more diverse powers and focusing on merlin alone would allow for many more stories to be told that would not necessarily be as repetitive as it has been sometimes. Other than that, Bradley James and Hunter Parish should team up for a show. They could call it twins. j/k

We’ll I live in the United States and lead a very busy life! With that said the series was so good I watched the whole thing up to date in 3 days. I love this show an have read many merlin books since I was a child. I believe they need to end the series. It is great and is coming to the point of ruin. I will explain. If you pay attention to the theme. It’s starting to repeat its self with very few changes. It has gotten a bit repetitive. But before they end it they need to make sure Arthur learns Merlin’s secretes. They need to show how they pull the kingdoms together! And they need to make sure that it is laid out well! If it means having this upcoming battle for the end of season 5, and then adding a short film to help show something in the future a few years after season 5s end. Showing a world were magic is accepted ( this is if they reveal this in season 5.) an that a few kingdoms are with Arthur and merlin. And the few remaining kingdoms being against them. Then having it all end with a huge battle where Arthur’s side wins. Showing at the end a signing between the kingdoms. That they are all united. The story shouldn’t be left to the imagination. Cause when that happens to me in the past all I can feel is hate. Hate that I don’t know that if what I see is the same as what the creators see. Yes imagination is good. But once in a while you need a solid ending that is concrete an none reversible. With that being said… My ending would leave everything open to future story spin offs and help make it easier for fans to accept the shows end. Personally if they don’t end this series well then I will not watch any spin offs because no mater what it will ruin the original. They must finish the foundation strongly or the rest of the structure will not hold. Thank you for reading and hope everyone can see what I am trying to say!

I totally agree with everything you said. there must be a spin off with as many of the original cast as possible. I have watched each and every episode and have bought all the box sets of all the series I have loved every minute of every episode and it is such a shame that because Capps and Murphy have parted waves with Shine why should we as very loyal fans have to loose such a fantastic programmebecause of this. Why can’t someone esle step in save the day and bring Merlin back one day, I have read that Colin Morgan said that the programme has reached as far as it could but I’m sure that if all the cast had a chance of carrying on they would.
I just can’t imagine never seeing this fantastic programme ever again In the past I have just looked foward to the next series when one ends, The only thing I can do is watch each and every episode by watching the dvd’s I have bought hoping that one day it does return. Don’t forget about Bobby Ewing’s return from the shower in Dallas there is always hope. With all the crap that is on our tv’s at the moment we need to kep our hopes alive that a return can happen.
PLEASE CAN’T SOMEONE HELP US LOYAL FANS GET OUR GREAT PROGRAMME BACK!!
Comment by a very loyal fan Pat December 27th december 2012 23:43pm

The story line says that Merlin await the rising of Arthur as the king of Camellot. My question is this, DID ARTHUR RISE AGAIN? becaus Merlin didn’t return to Camellot after the death of Arthur and whose hand caught the sword that Merlin threw into the Water?

No this cannot be the end! We just watched episode 11 There is no way to properly end this with only 2 episodes left. Arthur needs to find out about Merlin ,Morgana needs to die, Albion needs to be born. PS you can watch Merlin online in the US you dont have to wait till Jan. Go to megashare.info

There needs to be at least one more season where. Arthur knows about Merlin and he is Arthurs advisor. Merlin is one of the best shows out there witty fun to watch i cant believe it would end this way in a rush and just stop. Sooooooo sad.

I just started to watch Merlin about a month ago; still getting caught up. Obviously LOVE IT! Wish it wasn’t ending.
That being said…the series can end with Arthur finally finding out about Merlin. The new series picks up here.
The revelation is too important to rush. The new relationship between King & Advisor is a great place to start the
new spin off. THERE MUST BE A SPIN OFF!!!

When i heared the news i was ready to slap someone merlin is the best show ever and there is no eay it can show all that needs to happen in two episodes. This series needs to end with aurthar needs an air to his throen mogona needs to die and all magic needs to be free in the kingdom if all is not well and safe and all merlins secrets not shared then i think he seires should not end at this time it would make me so angery if the didnt end things in total peace. I love it so much though i really never want it to end why must it stop:(